On my recent trip to Tokyo, Japan, I was able to collect dozens of these one of kind stamps at different train stations, visitor centers, and more. All around Japan, there are these unique and beautiful eki stamps that you can collect for free! Here are some of the main things you'll need to know in order to collect as many eki stamps as you can.
What are eki stamps?
Eki stamps, found at various train stations across Japan, are free stamps that you can stamp on paper to collect. Each stamp is unique and often include a character or key landmark to the city that you're in upon collection. Introduced in 1931, Japan's aim was to encourage local tourism among young people, but has since spread to a widespread tradition (Jr Rail Pass' website, 2025).
Where can I find stamps?
Most stamps are located at each train station outside of the entrance or before an exit. Almost every station we were at had one either on it's own little table near the entrance/exit or inside the guest services center. I only found 2-3 stamps in the guest service office itself. Ginza's train station required a little walk to find their stamp table before exiting the train station. Overall, most of the stamps were very visible on their own little tables outside of the entrance of stations.
Do the stamps cost anything?
Collecting eki stamps is free, but you will need your own paper or book to store the stamps in.
What do the eki stamp tables look like at train stations?
Eki stamp tables are typically small and empty outside of the stamp and ink pads. Many of them have a big poster banner to show a picture of the stamp, which helped locate them faster. These tables are typically unoccupied. On rare occasions, I have waited for one person before me to finish their stamp before I got a turn.
What do I need to bring?
Bring spare paper to have scrap paper to practice stamping on if you are trying to get the best stamp on a collection book. If you're using a book for collection, make sure it's at least the size of a passport. I recommend having a book on hand before you start collecting. I didn't bring a book on my trip thinking I wouldn't really find these stamps, but they were everywhere! Some locations offered their own custom paper, but I noticed this was very rare.
Stamping tips
Some stamps need ink, while others are self inking stamps. So, if you see a stamp without a stamp pad, it's likely that you can just press down on the page with it to get your stamp to work. Some ink pads are dried out, so you may need to press down on every corner of the stamp before getting the best print. Make sure to close the ink pad lids after you're done to preserve the ink quality for others. This is also why I highly recommend bringing scrap paper to test the stamps on outside of your stamp collection book.
Special stamps
Some places may have special edition stamps that are only available temporarily. I happened to be in Japan during a train rally and got two stamps that were just for that event.
Where else can I find stamps?
Shrines, tourist attractions, landmarks, and tourist information centers may have stamps. Japan started a stamp sheet for their national parks, which I was able to pick up at the visitor center of the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It will run from 2023 to 2025. The Haneda airport had stamps at the guest service centers as well.
These stamp stations were almost always empty when I came across them and quick to access. As an avid journaler and memory collector, eki stamps were a fun and special addition to my Japan trip. I have fond memories collecting them and got to add them to my travel journal. I hope you get to find and collect some stamps too!
